FRISCO, Texas – Heading into his fifth season with the Dallas Cowboys, Pro Bowl returner and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin is seeking to add his fourth Pro Bowl to the resume in 2026.
In 2025, Turpin earned his third Pro Bowl nomination but averaged the least yards per return since his rookie season in 2022, and understands that's not up to his level of play. This offseason, his focused has centered around staying on the move.
"I've just got to stop stopping my feet," Turpin said. "I didn't live to my expectations when I had 33 yards [per return] average, but I still averaged 25, I still was up there in the top-five. I understand the expectation that I put on myself, I've got to be better… we've just got to run through the smoke. That's the plan."
Turpin set a career high in kick returns with 69 last year, which is 42 more than his previous career-high in 2024. The increase in returns also led to Turpin doubling his career-best in return yardage, putting up a league-high 1,814 return yards.
Even with the highest statistical numbers in the NFL, the return game as a whole on special teams wasn't up to the expectation Turpin and the Cowboys had set for themselves.
"I just feel like the blocking level was wrong," Turpin said. "We were getting blown up on some of the plays, we weren't sticking our ground. That's something that we're working on this offseason, holding your ground and just punching back pretty much. Things kind of piled up, and it seemed like I was running behind people and stuff like that, so we're just trying to clean everything up."
Entering 2025, Turpin signed a three-year, $18 million extension with the Cowboys, and Brian Schottenheimer wanted him to get more involved in the offense as a wide receiver. In 15 games, Turpin caught 26 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns, with a career-best 26.4 yards per game.
Along with working on his return game, Turpin and Dallas' wide receivers are continuing to spend time with Dak Prescott in throwing sessions that'll get them as in-sync as possible when the team heads to training camp in Oxnard.
"Everybody's trying to get timing on all your routes, and they're trying to see how it is, how fast you are with the quarterbacks," Turpin said. "Dak's just trying to get a feel for how everybody's going to run their routes. Then the other point is we're trying to build brotherhood here."
At those throwing sessions away from the facility in the offseason, and now back at the Star for minicamp, was Pro Bowl wide receiver George Pickens. After not attending the voluntary portions of Dallas' team activities in the offseason, Pickens arrived on Tuesday for mandatory minicamp. His return is a welcome, and in Turpin's eyes necessary, for the Cowboys' offensive success.
"We need him," Turpin said of Pickens. "Just to be honest, that's how it is. Just for this offense to be who it was last year, we need him on the team. Everybody's happy that he's back."
Going up against the defense in practice looks different for Turpin and the offense this offseason, with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker now calling the shots.
From his perspective, Turpin sees a confident defensive play caller who isn't afraid to let the offense know about it.
"He's keeping it real," Turpin said. "He's talking his stuff, and that's stuff we like. Him and Schotty going at it, he's talking his stuff behind it. That's the confidence we're trying to have in everything around the building. That shows the DC that he's trying to be, so I respect the ways he's doing it. Congrats to him, I want him to keep doing his things."
Not only has Turpin been refining his own game this offseason, but he's also helping one of the newest members of the team improve his.
First-round pick Caleb Downs, who handled some return duties in his time at Alabama, has been getting some reps alongside Turpin as a punt returner. Downs said that there’s “nobody better” to learn from in the return game than Turpin, who has passed along knowledge to the rookie.
"Go to your spot first," Turpin said of his advice for Downs. "It's the best thing to do. You've got the timing on the ball, just get to your spot, you can catch it. He did it before, and it's just got to be comfortable back there. It's different because the punter's kicking it high in the sky, but he gets to his spot, he'll be able to catch it."
